Air register for burners



July 18, TE NUVYL 2,515,843

AIR REGISTER FOR BURNERS Filed Aug. 12, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 8, 1950 J. A. TE NUYL 2,515,843

' AIR REGISTER FOR BURNERS Filed Aug. 12, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvcnfor: Joharincs Augusfinus +2 Nugl Patented July 18, 1950 2,515,843 AIR REGISTER, FOR BURNERS Johannes Augustinus te Nuyl, Amsterdam, Netherlands, assignor to Shell Development Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application August 12, 1946, Serial No. 689,996 In the Netherlands August 30, 1945 Claims.

This invention relates to air registers or the like for use with burners which may inter changeably use different fuels. More particularly this invention pertains to a multi-sectional air register, each section encasing a burner and/or burners, and having mechanical means thereon for adjusting and guiding air entering therein to burners in any of its sections or chambers. Specifically, the multi-sectional air register of this invention is divided into several chambers, being each interconnected with the other, and each having adjusting means for admitting and regulating the velocity, motion, direction, and/or quantity of air entering any section of the burner system. v

Multi-sectional air registers of this invention are especially applicable to burner systems using interchangeably different fuels; these air registers require a minimum of overall adjustment, and enhance combustion fuel efficiency which has heretofore been unobtainable with any known air-register.

Burner equipment is usually provided with an air register for the admission and circulation of air supply for combustion. The openings or air passages in an air register are controlled by suitable mechanical means so as to admit air in a prescribed motion, direction and controlled velocity in order to produce proper mixtures of air and fuel for efficient combustion.

The manner in which air and fuel is mixed, as well as the ratio of air to fuel for eflicient combustion, is of prime importance. Insufficient supply of air results in incomplete combustion. Too much air tends to cool the hot gases and localizes the heating zone. In addition, the kind of fuel used, load, pressure changes, etc., are variable factors which must be considered and appropriate changes made so as to supply the required quantity of air to be admixed with any specific fuel.

In cases where burners use the samev and/or different kinds of fuel interchangeably, additional operational difficulties are encountered due to changes in load, pressure, fuel and other variables. This invention aims at obviating these difficulties by means of a novel multisectional air register. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide burners using difiz'erent kinds of fuel with a new and novel multi-sectional air register for controlling the velocity, quantity and direction of air flow and supply necessary for eflicient combustion. Another object ofthis invention is to provide industrial burners with a multi-sectional air register wherein the air passages of each section or chamber of the air register can be opened or shut as desired. Still another object of this invention is to provide burners with a multi-sectional air register wherein the air passages for admitting combustion air to any desired chamber of the air register is independently or separately controlled. Another object of this invention is to provide burners with a multi-sectional air register wherein the air passages to adjacent chambers of the air register can be opened or shut in series. A further object of this invention is to provide burners with a multi-sectional air register wherein the air passages to all sections or chambers constituting the air register can be opened or shut simultaneously. A still further object of this invention is to provide burners with a multi-sectional air register wherein air entering the air register swirls in counter motion in adjacent chambers or sections of the air register. Other objects and advantages of this invention will be described hereinafter in connection with a preferred embodiment of this invention and with reference to the drawings in which like references are applied to like parts in the two sectional figures presented.

The multi-sectional air register of this invention is specifically designed for burners using different kinds of fuels interchangeably and/or simultaneously, and, by having suitable mechanical means the air passages to each section or chamber of the air register, can be separately or independently controlled so as to admit combustion air to a desired chamber of the register. The multi-sectional air register of this invention is also provided with suitable mechanical means for opening and shutting in series the air passages of the air register so that air supplied to adjacent chambers can be used as combustion air for burners in a specific chamber or as a, secondary source of air supply. The multisectional air register of this invention in addition is provided with means for opening and shutting simultaneously the air passages through which air enters the various sections-or chambers of the air register, thus allowing combustion air to reach difierent burners using the same or different kinds of fuel at the same time. Furthermore, each section or chamber of the air register of this invention is provided with mechanical means for swirling air entering the register in counter motion in adjacent chambers. Due to this opposite rotatingfor swirling movement of air in adjacent chambers, more thorough contact and mixing-of air and fuel is obtained,

resulting in a, more efiicient combustion mixture.

Essentially the multi-sectional air register of this invention comprises a casing for the burners using different kinds of fuels interchangeably and/or simultaneously and may be divided into several sections or chambers by= conical walls, each section being situated around a burner and opened towards the combustion chamber. Air for each section or chamber is supplied at the opposite side from the combustion chamber or can be admitted through the sides of the walls of each chamber and directed by suitable blades or vanes to the burner ends where the desired airfuel mixture forms for efficient combustion.

The air passages of any chamber of the air register may be entirely or partially opened or closed by means of suitably shaped plates or grids having attached thereto a handle, lever or other mechanical device so as to enable the imparting of movement to said plates or grids. The outside or casing of the register consists of a series of movable vanes or flaps rotatable about shafts and interconnected by rods or the like so that all vanes can be turned together by means of a lever preferably provided with a catch and attached to one of the shafts. In order to arrest movement of any plate or vane, suitable stops are attached to the grid of the air register.

Around the burner and/or burners in each chamber is a tube shaped part or element having attached thereto helical blades or paddles, the entire tubular element being connected to the rotatable plate or grid which controls the air passages to various sections of the register. The movement of the helical blades around the burner is so adjusted as to cause air entering the chamber to circulate in a direction opposite to that of the air entering through the vanes which form the casing of the register. In this manner air is caused to rotate in opposite directions in different chambers of the register resulting in a swirling movement of the air which in turn results in a better air-fuel mixture.

The rotatable plates or grids and vaneshave suitable levers with catches attached thereto so that the grids or vanes can be arrested in any desired position by having the catches come in contact with stops situated in appropriate or desired positions on the grids of the air register. Thus by moving the levers attached to the grids and vanes in a desired direction, the catches on the levers come in contact with stops mentioned above, arresting further movement of the grids or vanes at which point a desired quantity of air enters certain sections of the register. If the lever is turned further in the original direction, the catch thereon in turn comes in contact with the adjacent stop and opens the air passages in the adjacent chamber. In this manner air under controlled conditions can be admitted to different chambers of the register interchangeably and burners therein can be utilized, regardless of the fuel used therein.

In order to more clearly set forth the invention reference is now made to the accompanying drawings which show a practical form or embodiment of the invention, it being understood that modifications in structure and arrangement of the several parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as presented in the subjoined claims. In said drawin s:

Figure 1 represents a cross-sectioned view of a combustion gas and oil burner and anair register.

Figure 2 is an elevational view (partly in section) of the same structure, corresponding parts as shown in Figure 1 being denoted by the same numerals.

Fig. 3 is a fragmenta y elevation view of a portion of Fig. 2 showing a modification.

Referring more specifically to Figure 1, it shows a bi-sectional air register provided with a frustoconical shaped inner chamber defined by a conical shaped tubular wall I which is suitably secured by suitable means, such as bolts 2, to the back'wall plate 3 of the air register. Plate 3 is in turn attached to a furnace or heater casing 4 by suitable'means such as bolts 5. The frustoconical shaped inner chamber wall member I surrounds an oil burner 6 which is adapted to be supplied with fuel through conduit 1, the fuel supply to the burner nozzle being controlled by valve 8. Around the oil burner barrel 6 is a closely fitted tube 9 having openings at III which are situated outside the air register casing and through which small quantities of air can enter, said air being led to the nozzle of the oil burner 6 in order to prevent the contingent occurrence 'of under atmospheric pressure at the tip of the burner.

Tightly fitted to air tube 9 is another tube II which has helical blades or paddles I2 attached thereto, said tube I I being coupled to grid plate I3 by means of an integral extension sleeve I4 fitted slidably about the tube 9 and having a sliding fit within a bushing I 34: which is a part of the grid I3. Both tube II and grid I3 are held securely in place by means of a retaining ring I5 and set screw I6. To grid I3 is attached a lever I1 by means of which grid plate I3 can be rotated, thus opening or closing the air passages I8 in the plate 3, forming entrance parts for the fiow of air into the chamber A defined by conical wall I. The grid I3 and plate 3 together constitute a first air regulator. The movement of the grid plate I3 can be arrested by means of a movable stop I 9 attached by suitable means to the plate 3 by engaging the lever I1 and thereby limiting its motion at a preselected position, as v is evident from Fig. 2.

The outer chamber of this bi-sectional air register is defined by an outer casing member 20 which is secured by suitable means to the refractory lining 2I of the furnace. Around the perimeter of the housing of the outer chamber there is a plurality of vanes or flaps 22 and within the circumference of which is situated a gas burner 23 with outlets 23a which is removable and is supplied with fuel by means of conduit 24 having a control valve 25. The vanes or flaps 22 collectively form a second air regulator and are pivotally mounted on the plate 3 and casing member 30 by means of individual shafts 26 and are interconnected with each other by means of rods 21. Attached by suitable means to one of the shafts 2B is a lever 28 which is weighted with a load 29 and can be fixed by means of bolt 30 so as to tend to bring the vanes or fiaps to their closed positions. To lever 28 is also affixed by suitable means a catch 3I which can arrest the movement of the vanes by coming in contact with adjustable stops 32 and 33 borne by grid plate I3.

As illustrated by the drawing, the air register of this invention can be divided into two chambers by a frusto-conical shaped wall I which defines within itself the inner chamber A and is situated around an oil burner and opens towards the combustion chamber which is bounded by the refractory lining 2I. Air may be supplied to the innerchamber by means of openings IS in the plate 3 at the back of the chamber. These air passages or openings 18 may be entirely or partially opened or closed by means of the grid plate IS, the working mechanism of which has been described above. Air entering the chamber through openings IB is caused to swirl because of the helical blades [2 and on emerging at the burner nozzle thoroughly mixes with the atomized fuel.

Air to the outer chamber B is supplied through openings provided between the vanes or flaps 22. By rotating or deflecting the vanes in the manner described above a desired quantity of air in turbulent motion can be allowed to enter the outer chamber and mix with the fuel to form a desired combustion mixture.

The bi-seetional air register employed for multitype or interchangeable burners using different kinds of fuels (oil and gas) as described above may be operated in the following manner:

Oil flowing through conduit 1. enters the oil burner 6 through control valve 8 and is atomized into the combustion chamber. Air supplied in controlled quantity and motion through the air passages in the grid plate l3 and the registering air passages l8 meets and mixes with the atomized oil and after passing through the inner chamber A defined by wall I situated around the oil burner and which opens towards the combustion chamber. Depending upon the load, the air supply can be varied as to quantity, velocity, direction and distance from the atomizing nozzle of the oil burner. By the illustrated figures the desired distribution of air is attained by adjusting grid l3. This is accomplished by turning handle H from the lowest position toward the open position (clockwise as seen in Fig, 2) thereby gradually opening air passages l8. By further turning handle IT in the clockwise direction, bolt 32 on grid l3 comes in contact with catch 3!. Upon further movement of handle I! the vanes or flaps 22, are opened gradually so that finally air passages in both sections of the air register are opened. The air entering the outer air register chamber 3 can be used as a secondary source of combustion air for the oil or used as a source of air supply for the gas burner situated in the outer chamber.

If gas is used first, the fuel can be introduced to the gas burner 23 through conduit 24 controlled by valve 25. Air for combustion of the gas enters the chamber B through openings provided between vanes or flaps 22 and with increased loads can also be supplied through the inner chamber A. The desired adjustment of air supply to gas burners is effected by means of lever 28 which with increasing load is gradually raised from its lowest zero position to a point where catch 3! is brought in contact with stop 33. Further turning of lever 23 causes vanes 22 to be opened further and also causes grid l3 to turn clockwise resulting in the opening of air passages in the inner chamber A.

The load 29 on lever 28 may be replaced with a spring to ensure that catch 3| and stop 32 are kept in contact with each other, when firing the oil burner even if handle I1 is turned to its original position. Such a modification is illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the lever 28 is mounted on a shaft 26 and has a locking bolt 30, but is urged to rotate in a clockwise direction by means of a spring 35.

As shown above when using the oil burner 6 first, the air adjustment is effected by means of handle I! which first permits air to enter the chamber A through the air passages l8 and, on further manipulation, brings the stop 32 into contact with catch 3| attached to lever 28 and which in turn opens vanes 22 so as to supply air to the gas chamber B or the air entering therein can be used as a secondary source of air supply for combustion.

If the gas burner is to be used first, the air supply is'effected by means of lever 28 which directly controls air passage vanes 22. Lever 28 may also come in contact with stop 33 attached to grid [3, thereby opening the air passages It to the inner chamberA of the register, thus allowing air to flow therein. If desired, this may be used as a secondary source of air supply for the gas burner or as a source of air supply for the.

oil burners when fired.

Although the air register of this invention great- 1y improves the efficiency of burners employing dif ferent fuels interchangeably, by distributing combustion air in the manner set forth above, other factors for efficient burning of fuels must be considered and borne in mind. Thus the burner 6 should be adjusted axially within the tube l l 'with variations in fuel composition and viscosity of oil used, as well as for changes in fuel and air pressures. Also the proper size of burners for a particular duty, the manner in which the fuel is ejected through the burner nozzle 0r openings as well as the skill in firing, are important factors which must be considered in order to obtain efficient combustion of fuels. By taking these factors into, consideration and by using an air register of this invention, outstanding and most efficient results are obtained.

The broad concept of this invention as well as the specific embodiment of it has been clearly presentedabove. The specific structure, design, type of connections used, etc., is not a part of this invention and may be modified as will be readily apparent by any person skilled in the art. Thus many modifications and variations of the invention may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and only such limitations should be imposed as are included in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An air register for use with burners using different fuels, comprising a tubular wall defining an inner air chamber therewithin, means operatively associated with said tubular wall and forming therewith an outer air chamber, a first air regulator for regulating the passage of air to said inner air chamber, a second air regulator for regulating the passage of air to said outer air chamber, first control means for adjusting said first air regulator independently of the second air regulator, second control means for adjusting said second air regulator independently of the first air regulator, and interlocking means for actuating one of said air regulators upon the movement of the other air regulator beyond a predetermined position.

2. The air register according to claim 1 wherein the interlocking means is adapted to actuate either air regulator upon the movement of the other air regulator beyond a predetermined position.

3. The air register according to claim 1 wherein the interlocking means comprises a pivoted catch arranged for movement together with one of said control means and stops movable with the other of said control means positioned to engage opposite sides of said catch upon the actuation of one of said control means.

4. The air register according to claim 3 wherein the stops are adjustable.

5. An air register for use with burners using different fuels, comprising a tubular wall defining an inner air chamber therewithin, means operatively associated with said tubular wall and forming therewith an outer air chamber, a rotatable grid for regulating the passage of air to said inner air chamber and forming a first air regulator, a plurality of movable vanes for regulating the passage of air to said second air chamber and forming a second air regulator, first control means for rotating said grid independently of said vanes, second control means for moving said vanes independently of said grid, and interlocking means for moving one of said air regulators to its open position upon the opening movement of the other of said air regulators beyond a predetermined position.

6. The air register according to claim 5 wherein the interlocking means comprises a catch pivotally mounted and arranged for movement together with one of said control means and opposed stops movable with the other of said control means positioned to engage opposite sides of said catch upon actuation of one of said control means.

7. An air register for use with burners using diiferent fuels, comprising a tubular wall defining an inner air chamber therewithin, means operatively associated with said tubular wall and forming therewith an outer air chamber, a rotatable grid for regulating the passage of air to said inner air chamber, a plurality of hinged vanes for regulating the passage of air to said second air chamber, control means for said vanes comprising a lever arm, means urging said lever arm to move said vanes to their closed position, a catch movable with said lever arm, and a pair of opposed stops on said grid positioned to engage opposite sides of said catch, said stops being spaced apart to permit said catch to move between the stops, whereby the vanes can be partially opened without engagement of the catch with the stops.

8. In combination, a first burner nozzle, a frusto-conical wall surrounding said nozzle and defining therewithin an inner air chamber, a rotatable grid at the rear of said inner air chamber for regulating the passage of air to said inner air chamber, a second burner outside of said frustoconical wall, a plurality of movable vanes for regulating the passage of air to said second burner outside of said frusto-conical wall, control means for said vanes, said grid and vanes being independently movable, and interlocking means comprising a movable catch and opposed stops positioned to engage opposite sides of said catch and to permit relative movement between said catch and said stops for opening said grid upon the opening of said vanes beyond a predetermined position, and for opening said vanes upon the opening of said grid beyond a predetermined position. I

9. In combination, a first burner nozzle, a frusto-conical wall surrounding said nozzle and defining therewithin an inner air chamber, helical blades within said inner chamber for imparting a swirling motion to air passing therethrough, a rotatable grid at the rear of said inner air chamber for regulating the passage of air to said inner air chamber, a second burner outside of said frusto-conical wall, a plurality of vanes hinged on axes substantially parallel to the axis of said frusto-conical wall for imparting a swirling motion to and for regulating the passage of air to said second burner outside of said frusto-conical wall, control means for said vanes, said grid and vanes being independently movable, and interlocking means comprising a movable catch and opposed stops positioned to engage opposite sides of said catch and to permit relative movement between said catch and said stops for opening said grid upon the opening of said vanes beyond a predetermined position, and for opening said vanes upon the opening of said grid beyond a predetermined position.

10. The burner according to claim 9 wherein the first burner nozzle is Provided with a rearwardly extending tubular element, the helical vanes are fixed on a tubular housing slidably mounted about said tubular element, and said rotatable grid is mounted about said tubular housing so as to be rotatable with respect to said housing.

" JOHAN'NES AUGUSTINUS 'rs NUYL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,434,406 Purnell Nov. 7, 1922 1,665,800 Strachan et al Apr. 10, 1928 1,801,431 Irish Apr. 21, 1931 1,884,894 Sherwood Oct. 25, 1932 1,922,857 Meachem Aug. 15, 1933 2,125,022 Haynes July 26, 1938 2,126,853 Woolley Aug. 16, 1938 2,190,190 Peterson Feb. 13, 1940 2,271,587 Haynes Feb. 3, 1942 2,439,554 Anderson Apr. 13, 1943 

